Pressurized dispenser



May 1965 J. J. MISKEL ETAL PRESSURIZED DISPENSER Filed Aug. 14. 1962INVENIOR JOHN J. MISKEL GEORGE BAILEY FIG.2.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,181,735 PRESSURIZED DISPENSER John J.Miskel, East Orange, and George A. Bailey, Mountainside, N.J., assignorsto White Laboratories, Inc., Kenilworth, NJ., a corporation of NewJersey Filed Aug. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 216,785 4 Claims. (Cl. 222--95)This invention relates to a pressurized dispenser for viscous materialsand more particularly to a pressurized dispenser for sterilizedointments, salves, and other medicaments having emollient, protective,soothing, healing and/or skin hydrating action, and other materials suchas creams and other foods that must be packaged and remain sterile untiluse and where the propellent must be kept separated from the product.

Pressurized dispensers 'for viscous materials of the type in which theviscous material is squeezed from a collapsible inner casing by means ofa gas or liquid propellent confined within an outer casing surroundingthe collapsible inner casing are known. However, dispensers of this typeare either unsuitable or unsatisfactory for the packaging and dispensingof sterilized viscous material as it is either impossible to completelysterilize known dispensers of this type, particularly the inner casing,due to its necessary flexible and collapsible properties, or in thosedispensers where sterilizable and collapsible inner casings areemployed, it is difficult if not impossible to even approach thecomplete evacuation of the collapsible inner casing. Further, previouspackages have permitted diffusion of the propellant through the innercasing to contaminate the product.

In the past, collapsible inner casings have been formed of laminatedfabrics, plastic, rubber, and synthetic materials, in order to providean easily deformable container for the viscous material to be dispensed.However, these materials have not proven satisfactory for the packagingof sterile ointrnents and other medicaments because these materials havenot been able to withstand the necessary sterilizing temperature ortreatment. Also these materials are subject to imperfections,perforations, pinholes, abrasions or characteristic diffusion and otherdefects and thus permeable to the gas or liquid propellent confinedwithin the dispenser. This results in contamination of the viscousmaterial within the collapsible casing as well as a loss of propellentand the inefficient evacuation of the inner casing.

In those instances where the collapsible inner casing has been formed ofmaterial capable of withstanding the sterilization treatment and whichmaintain the material within the inner casing completely sterile andfree of contamination by the propellent, it has been found impossible tocompletely dispense all of the material within the collapsible casing.As a matter of fact, a large amount of the viscous material remainsentrapped within the inner casing, resulting in excessive costs to theuser. This is particularly true in. the case of expensive ointments,dressings, and other medicaments. Contamination of these products andespecially foods with tpropellent is highly undesirable.

Although many designs and arrangement have been proposed in an attemptto provide a pressurized package and dispenser for sterile products sofar as known, no pressurized dispenser is'presently available thatovercomes the noted objections. Furthermore, even those presentlyavailable pressurized dispensers that are re asonably satisfactory areof'poor design and diflicult to manufacture while at the same timemaintaining an absolutely sterile and propellant-free packaged product.For instance, many pressurized dispensers employ a diptube which hasbeen found ineflicient in operation (dip- 3,181,735 Patented May 4, 1965tube restricts position of operation of dispenser), as well ascumbersome in the packaging of this type of product.

In other arrangements, although a sterilizable collapsible inner casinghas been employed there is a tendency for the inner casing to collapseover the valve entr apping a large percentage of the viscous materialtherein. To overcome this disadvantage it has been proposed tointernally support the inner casing by means of a frame or gauze or thelike. However, these arrangements have likewise not proven satisfactoryand introduce even further difliculties in maintaining the packagedproduct absolutely sterile as well as increase the cost of manufacture.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a pressurizeddispenser for sterile materials such as certain foods, ointments,dressings, and other medicaments, comprising a minimum of individuallysterilizable elements that can he quickly, easily and economicallyassembled to form a completely sterile package.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pressurized dispenserof the gas or liquid propellent type capable of dispensing or propellingpercent or more of viscous material from the collapsible inner casing.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a pressurizeddispenser of'the gas or liquid propellent type comprising an outercasing and a collapsible inner casing and including cooperating meansformed on said outer and inner casings insuring the nearly completedispensing of the packaged material.

These and many other objects are obtained by our invention which ingeneral comprises a flanged openmouthed outer casing and a flangedopen-mouthed inner casing formed of a collapsible material such asaluminum, lead, or tin concentrically mounted within said outer casing,the flange of said inner casing engaging and of the same Width as theflange of said outer casing. The collapsible inner casing is filled witha viscous material and provided with a rigid circular concave, convex orflat base of slightly smaller diameter than the inner diameter or theouter casing whereby the circular base of the inner casing acts as aguide preventing isolated formation of viscous material within the innercasing as the inner casing collapses.

Valve means which may include an inner sealing gasket are double-seamedover the flanges of the outer and inner casings forming a chamberbetween the inner and outer casings which is filled with a measuredamount of sterile liquefiable propellent such as fluorinated hydrocarbonl2 (Freon 12). As the flange-of the inner casing is of the same width asthat of the outer casing it is seamed completely over the outer casingflange-assuring a positive seal by maintaining a large sealing surfacearea between the two respective flanges.

The liquefiable propellent exerts a substantially constant and uniformpressure at any given temperature upon the circular base and the sidewalls of the inner casing whereby the viscous material is propelled ordispensed from the inner casing when the valve means are opened. As theviscous material is dispensed, the inner casing collapses causing thecircular base to rise within the outer casing. As the diameter of therigid circular base is only slightly less than the inner diameter of theouter casing and remains constant, it has a tendency to engage the innersurface of the outer casing upon but slight side- Wise movement causingthe circular base to'remain in a substantially parallel positionrelative to the base of the outer casing. This prevents the collapsibleinner casing from twisting or the, circular base from tilting. and thusisolated formations of viscous material within theinner casing assuringa substantially complete evacuation of the inner casing. Fur-ther, therigidity of the inner casing precludes the sealing-oil of areascontaining the product.

That is, channels are open for continued flow of product.

To enhance this cooperation between the circular base and the outercasing and thus assuring a complete discharge or dispensing of theviscous material from the collapsible inner casing, the circular basemay be provided with a projecting shoulder and the outer casing providedwith a vertical recess or keyway for freely receiving the projectingshoulder.

These and many other advantages of our invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of ourinvention when read in view of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of our invention illustratingthe manner in which a collapsible innet casing is concentricallyreceived within an outer casing, said inner and outer casing beingsealingly closed by valve means double-seamed thereover, and

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of ourinvention as shown in FIGURE 1 and which includes a projecting shoulderon said inner casing and a vertical recess formed in said outer casingfor freely receiving said projecting shoulder.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 a preferred embodiment of our inventionespecially adapted for the packaging and dispensing of viscousmaterials, particularly sterilized ointments and dressings, includes anouter open-mouthed cylindrical casing 11 having a convex base and anannular flange 12 formed thereon and an inner openmouthed semi-rigidcollapsible cylindrical casing 13 also having an annular flange 14formed thereon and shorter in length than the outer casing 11concentrically mounted within the outer casing 11.

The diameter of the inner casing 13 is enlarged at its mouth or open endto form a neck portion 15 that is substantially of the same outerdiameter as the inner diameter of the outer casing 11. When insertedinto the outer casing 11, the neck portion 15 of the inner casing 13engages the outer casing holding the inner casing in place. The flanges12 and 14 are of the respective width so there is a substantially fulloverlap of the two flanges providing a maximum sealing surface areawhere the flanges are seamed together.

The inner casing 13 is filled with a viscous material such as asterilized ointment or dressing, and both the outer and inner casings1-1 and 13 are sealed by a can end valve assembly 16 including a spout17 and a twist top 18 double-seamed over the flanges 12 and 14. An innersealing gasket 19 may also be employed to assure a positive seal. Thesealed chamber 21 formed between the outer and inner casings 11 and 13is filled with a measured amount of liquefiable propellent such as afluorinated hydrocarbon, i.e., Freon 12.

In practice, both the outer and inner casings 11 and 13 may be extrudedor drawn blind end tubes formed of any light gage metal having thenecessary properties. Although the outer and inner casings 1-1 and 13may be formed of a number of different materials in a variety of ways,we have found that extruded or drawn blind end aluminum tubes arepreferred.

Where drawn aluminum casings are employed the outer casing 11 is of aheavier gage so as to provide sutficient rigidity and wall strength topermit packaging and handling of the dispenser without unduedeformation. Suitable labels, trade names and other information may beapplied directly to the outer casing.

The semi-rigid collapsible inner casing 13 may also be formed ofextruded or drawn aluminum of a light gage such as .O06".Ol2" and isprovided with a flat rigid,

circular base 22 of constant diameter. The base 22 may also be concaveor convex if desired. The choice of materials for the semi-rigidcollapsible inner casing 13 is critical as the inner casing must beimpervious to gas or liquids, able to withstand sterilizingtemperatures, of 121 C. or more, and have substantially uniform wallstrength permitting uniform collapse and contraction without i twistingabout its longitudinal axis. Drawn or extruded aluminum fulfills theserequirements, although lead and tin may also be employed.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the inner casing 13 is slightly smaller indiameter and shorter in length than the outer casing 11. In a preferredembodiment of our dispenser, and although the physical dimensions of thedispenser are subject to variation as determined by the size of thedispenser desired, an outer open-mouthed casing 11 of aluminum 4% incheslong and having a /8 inch wide flange and an internal diameter of 2%inch may be employed.

The semi-rigid, collapsible inner casing 13 may also be of aluminum and4 inches long with a /s wide flange and an initial external diameter of2 inches. It is important to note that the diameter of the rigid base 22is also 2 inches and remains constant, and that the flanges 12 and 14are of the same width, the importance of which will become apparent.

Prior to assembly the components of our dispenser are individuallysterilized and the sterilized inner casing filled aseptically with apro-sterilized viscous material such as a medicated ointment, dressingor the like. Before top loading the inner casing 13 in the outer casing11 a measured amount (15 grams) of Freon 12 at a temperature ofapproximately 50 C. is placed in the outer casing 11.

Upon loading the inner casing 13 in the outer casing, a conventional canend valve assembly 16 including a spout 17 such as an Oil EquipmentLaboratory 202 can end valve and an Oil Equipment Laboratory C-559spout, both of which are commercially available and manufactured by OilEquipment Laboratories, Inc, Elizabeth, New Jersey, is double-seamedover the flanges 12 and 14 to sealingly close the inner casing and thepropellent chamber 21 formed between the outer and inner casings 11 and13. An inner sealing gasket 19 may also be employed.

In double-seaming the can end valve assembly 16 over the flanges 12 and14, it is observed that the width of the flanges 12 and 14 are equal,and because of the neck portion 15 on which the flange 14 is formedthere is a substantially complete overlap of the flanges 12 and 14,therefore assuring a maximum sealing surface area between the flangeswhen the flange 14 is crimped over the flange 12 by the can end valveassembly 16.

With this easily assembled pressurized dispenser we provide a 5-02.package of sterile ointment, dressing or other viscous material underapproximately 70 lbs. pressure at 70 F. Because of the properties of andthe tolerances between the outer and inner casings 11 and 13, the innercasing 13 is subjected to a substantially uniform and constant pressure.Of course, liquids, grease, lotions, food products, frostings,cosmetics, and the like may be similarly packaged.

In operation, it is merely necessary to actuate the can end valveassembly 16 with the dispenser in any position so as to dispense thedesired quantity of the packaged sterilized product from the spout. Thecan end valve assembly 16 may be provided with a conventionaltwistto-open and close type top 18 and the spout with a suitable cap orcover 20.

Upon opening the can end valve assembly 16, the viscous material withinthe inner casing 13 is dispensed through the spout at a substantiallyconstant flow rate. The neck 15 and outer casing 11 cooperate tosecurely support the inner casing 13 and as the semi-rigid, collapsibleinner casing collapses it contracts along its longitudinal axis, therelatively closely fitting flat rigid, circular base 22, remainingsubstantially parallel with the end of the outer casing 11. The uniformcontraction of the securely sup-ported inner casing eliminates twistingof the inner casing 13 along and about its longitudinal axis, thusgreatly reducing isolated formations of the viscous material within thecasing. This prevents the inner casing 13 from collapsing over the valveopening.

hancing the uniform contraction and the elimination of twisting of theinner casing along and about its longitudinal axis is shown in FIGURE 2.In this arrangement the fiat rigid, circular base 22 is provided with aflat, relatively narrow projecting shoulder 23 having a curved endsubstantially corresponding to the curvature of the diameter of theouter casing 11. The projecting shoulder 23 which acts as a key isfreely received Within a slight vertical recess or indentation 24 whichforms a keyway within the side wall of the outer casing 11, thuspreventing any twisting of the inner casing 13 during the collapse andcontraction of the inner casing 13 as the viscous material is dispensed.

Although certain specific embodiments of our invention have been shownand described, it will, of course, be understood that various and othermodifications may be made without departing from the principles of theinvention and, therefore, the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawings and described in the specification but only asindicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A pressurized dispenser especially adapted for viscous materialcomprising a cylindrical open-mouthed outer casing having an annularflange thereon, a metal sterilizable semi-rigid collapsible cylindricaland openmouthed inner casing filled with viscous material to bedispensed mounted concentrically Within said outer casing having a rigidcircular base of slightly smaller diameter than said outer casing, andan enlarged neck portion adjacent the open mouth of said inner casing,said enlarged neck portion beingof substantially the same outer diameteras the inner diameter of said outer casing and frictionally engagingsaid outer casing and spacedly supporting said inner casing within saidouter casing, said inner casing being of shorter length than said outercasing and having an annular flange surrounding said open mouth engagingsaid annular flange on said outer casing; open and close type valvemeans double-seamed over said annular flanges of said outer and innercasings sealingly closing said inner casing and forming a sealed chamberbetween said outer and inner casings, said chamber being filled with ameasured amount of liquefied propellent, whereby a uniform propellentgas pressure is constantly and continually.

2. A pressurized dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said flanges onsaid outer and inner casings are of substantially the same width, saidflange on said inner casing substantially completely overlapping saidflange on said outer casing, thereby providing a maximum sealing surfacearea between said respective flanges when said valve 7 means isdouble-seamed thereover.

3. A pressurized dispenser as defined in claim 1 including means formedon said rigid circular base for-cooperating with said outer casing toprevent twisting of said inner casing and isolated formation of saidviscous material withinsaid inner casing.

4. A pressurized dispenser especially adapted for viscous materialcomprising a cylindricalv open-mouthed outer casing provided with akeyway in the side wall thereof and having an annular flange thereon, asemirigid collapsible cylindrical and open-mouthed inner casing filledwith viscous material to be dispensed mounted concentrically within saidouter casing and'having a rigid circular base provided with a key, saidkey fitting in said keyway preventing twisting of said inner casingabout its longitudinal axis upon contraction of said inner casing alongits longitudinal axis, said base having a slightly smaller diameter thansaid outer casing, and an enlarged neck portion adjacent the open mouthof said innercasing,

said enlarged neck portion being ofsubstantially the same outer diameteras the inner diameter ofsaid outer casing and frictionally engaging saidouter casing and spacedly supporting said inner casing within said outercasing therein, said inner casing being of shorter length than saidouter casing and having an annular flange surrounding said open mouthengaging said annular flange on said outer casing; valve meansdouble-seamed over said annular flanges of said outer and inner casingssealingly. closing said inner casing and forming a sealed chamberbetween said outerv and inner casings,'said chamber being filled with ameasured amount of liquefied propellent, whereby a uniform gas pressureis'exerted. on the side walls of said semirigid collapsible. innercasing dispensing said viscous material from said are opened.

'7 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RAPHAEL M.LUPO, Primary Examiner.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiners.

inner casing whenlsaid valve means

1. A PRESSURIZED DISPENSER ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VISCOUS MATERIALCOMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL OPEN-MOUTHED OUTER CASING HAVING AN ANNULARFLANGE THEREON, A METAL STERILIZABLE SEMI-RIGID COLLAPSIBLE CYLINDRICALAND OPENMOUTHED INNER CASING FILLED WITH VISCOUS MATERIAL TO BEDISPENSED MOUNTED CONCENTRICALLY WITHIN SAID OUTER CASING HAVING A RIGIDCIRCULAR BASE OF SLIGHTLY SMALLER DIAMETER THAN SAID OUTER CASING, ANDAN ENLARGED NECK PORTION ADJACENT THE OPEN MOUTH OF SAID INNER CASING,SAID ENLARGED NECK PORTION BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME OUTERDIAMETER AS THE INNER DIAMETER OF SAID OUTER CASING AND FRICTIONALLYENGAGING SAID OUTER CASING AND SPACEDLY SUPPORTING SAID INNER CASINGWITHIN SAID OUTER CASING, SAID INNER CASING BEING OF SHORTER LENGTH THANSAID OUTER CASING AND HAVING AN ANNULAR FLANGE SURROUNDING SAID OPENMOUTH ENGAGING SAID ANNULAR FLANGE ON SAID OUTER CASING; OPEN AND CLOSETYPE VALVE MEANS DOUBLE-SEAMED OVER SAID ANNULAR FLANGES OF SAID OUTERAND INNER CASINGS SEALINGLY CLOSING SAID INNER CASING AND FORMING ASEALED CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID OUTER AND INNER CASINGS, SAID CHAMBER BEINGFILLED WITH A MEASURED AMOUNT OF LIQUEFIED PROPELLENT, WHEREBY A UNIFORMPROPELLENT GAS PRESSURE IS CONSTANTLY AND CONTINUALLY EXERTED ON THEBASE AND SIDE WALLS OF SAID SEMI-RIGID COLLAPSIBLE INNER CASING THEREBYDISPENSING SAID VISCOUS MATERIAL FROM SAID INNER CASING WHEN SAID VALVEMEANS ARE OPENED BY GRADUALLY COLLAPSING THE SIDE WALLS WHICH THENCONTRACT ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID INNER CASING CAUSING THECIRCULAR BASE TO RISE AND SQUEEZE OUT THE DESIRED QUANTITY OF VISCOUSMATERIAL TO BE DISPENSED.